By successfully completing this nationally-recognised course, you’ll gain the advanced permaculture trade certificate. Studying in the Byron Bay area, you’ll also immerse in sustainable living and organic farming practices right in the green heart of Northern NSW.

This advanced course enables students to progress onto wide-ranging and fascinating careers in permaculture, sustainability education and ecological farming sectors.

Career opportunities include: designing urban and rural permaculture systems, supervising new works, working as a project officer and managing community projects.

Students of Certificate IV in Permaculture learn a holistic philosophy, integrating:

Organic farming

Animal systems

Natural building

Food preservation

Systems thinking

Community development

Grow your permaculture interest into a richly rewarding career.

About

This course prepares participants for opportunities in the permaculture, sustainability education and ecological farming sectors.

Course Duration & Hours

38 weeks (no classes during NSW school holidays)

Two days a week in class sessions 9.00 am – 3.30pm

Delivery location: Mullumbimby Campus and the Mullumbimby Community Gardens

There are practical work components undertaken at established permaculture properties as part of this course, as well as excursions

Course Fees

Smart & Skilled Scholarship: $0

Smart & Skilled Concession: $240

Smart & Skilled Full Fee: $2,770

Standard Concession fee: $6,600

Standard Full fee: $6,900

This course is Austudy Approved. Full time workload would be 21 hours per week for 12 weeks.

Payment PlanCourse fees are paid in instalments scheduled throughout the duration of the course. Fee schedules for individual courses are outlined on the enrolment paperwork available through the college administration team.

Smart and Skilled funded places may be available for these qualificationsPlease call the college for more information on 02 6684 3374

Subsidised Training under Smart and Skilled

This course is being offered as a subsidised course to eligible students under the NSW Government Smart and Skilled program. Smart and Skilled is a reform of the NSW Vocational Education and Training (VET) system. It’s helping people in NSW get the skills they need to find a job and advance their careers. Many of our full qualifications have full or part fee subsidies available for eligible students.

To apply for a Smart and Skilled Fee-Free Scholarship place you must:

Be an Australian citizen or hold a permanent residency or humanitarian visa status

Live or work in New South Wales

Be aged between 15-30 years of age

Provide evidence of your concession-eligibility

To apply for a Smart and Skilled Concession (S&S Concession) place you must:

Be an Australian citizen or hold a permanent residency or humanitarian visa status

Live or work in New South Wales

Provide evidence of your concession-eligibility

To apply for a Smart and Skilled Full Fee (S&S Full Fee) place you must:

Be an Australian citizen or hold a permanent residency or humanitarian visa status

Live or work in New South Wales

Applications for these subsidised* places are limited so a funded place cannot be guaranteed.

You Will Learn

Organic gardening

Orchards and food forests

Cooking and permaculture products

Integrated plant and animal systems

Permaculture principles and ethics

Water systems

Design for different climates

Design process

Urban & rural permaculture

Community systems

Chem-free bush regeneration

Working with clients

Seed saving and propagation

Compost and soil building

Your Learning Experience

Permaculture Certificate IV includes the following permaculture toolkit:

Site assessment and establishment

Reading the landscape and using maps

Establishing rural permaculture systems

Planning and design of food forests, orchards and windbreaks

Integrated plant and animal systems

Urban permablitz and retrofit

Building permaculture structures

Design

Drawing and drafting plans

Community projects and professional permaculture

Coordinate community projects

Working with clients/contractors

Occupational health and safety

Giving recommendations to clients

Career and Employment Opportunities Include:

This course prepares participants for opportunities in the permaculture, sustainability education and ecological farming sectors.

Urban and rural property design and implementation supervision

Permaculture and environmental information services

Development and management of sustainable land-use systems

Environmental management and community development programs

Education and training in permaculture and environmental management

Facilitation and coordination services

Eco-tourism enterprises and operations

This qualification provides skills training for people involved in or wanting to establish an enterprise or small business including design and information service, organic cottage industry, organic production systems, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), rural enterprises, market garden and organic horticulture, forestry, seed farming, and value-adding industries, or seeking employment as permaculture trainers, supervisors and project coordinators for rural properties, rural development programs, city farms, community gardens, labour market programs, Landcare projects and community development work, including working with Indigenous communities and overseas development programs

Student Policies and Procedures

USI

From the 1st of January 2015, any student enrolling in an Accredited Training course will be required to obtain a USI. The USI helps to keep your training records and results together in an online account which is controlled by you. You can logon to the USI website and follow the simple instructions online to create your USI. This then needs to be provided to the College at the time of enrolment.

Important Information

Once your enrolment is completed you will receive a confirmation email. This email will be your receipt and inform you of the dates, time and venue of your course, it will also let you know of anything you need to take to class with you. Please make sure that you give us a valid email address and mobile number as any course changes will be communicated via sms or email.

Student Story

Lauren O’Reilly

Lauren O’Reilly undertook the Certificate IV in Permaculture at Byron Community College in 2017. As part of the Certificate IV course Lauren was required to undertake practical design and implementation projects, one of which was the RSL Life Care complex located in Suffolk Park, Byron Bay.

This project was funded by the Maggie Beer Wellbeing Gardens Program, an initiative started in 2015 to incorporate gardens in to aged care facilities across Victoria and has now extended to other states. “The garden at the RSL had two objectives; To create a well-being garden that created a meaningful activity for the residents that wanted to be involved and in turn providing fresh fruits and vegetables for them” says Lauren.

Lauren reports that getting the residents involved was the best part. "One of the residents was quite physically abled and bored so he got very involved, helping plant seedlings and seeds as well as mulch. His grandson came to visit in the middle of it and they mulched the seedlings together which was really nice."

Lauren runs her permaculture design and gardening business, Free Range Change in the Byron Bay region. "I’ve done a few different things with the business, orchard restoration, garden maintenance and teaching on a PDC. I want to encourage people to get into their own gardens. We all need to make change so it’s about showing people that change can be fun and creative and individual."